The Negative Portrayal of Women in Works Such as The Great...

The Negative Portrayal of Women According to today’s society, men are women are equal and have equal rights. Although we all try to believe this, the fact is almost every language and culture is male-dominated. Men have always been favoured and believed to be superior to women, which still exists in some third world countries, such as Afghanistan. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel, The Great Gatsby, portrays how women were treated during the 1920s. In the novel, women play the role of an object for men’s pleasure, a strong figure, and materialistic. Myrtle Wilson plays the role of an object for Tom Buchanan pleasure. He uses her for his own fun and never intends to have a substantial relationship due to the fact that he is†¦show more content†¦Just as Biff and Happy in Death of a Salesman, written by Arthur Miller, use their women as objects by seeking them for their own pleasure and disrespect them, so too does Tom towards Myrtle not only as he seeks her based on his schedule for hi s own pleasure, but also as he â€Å"broke her nose with his open hand† (39). Jordan Baker takes on the role of a strong female figure in the novel. She takes action when she meets Nick, as she â€Å"held [his] hand impersonally† (44), compared to the other women like Daisy, who are passive. She also is involved in golf, which is not the ‘typical woman’ during the 1920s. She earns her money through this talent oppose to Daisy, who relies on her husband for money, which shows her strong figure as she is independent. Similar to Lauren Conrad from the reality show, The Hills, who is independent and works for her own money, so it is Jordan, which sets her strong female figure in this novel. Daisy Buchanan plays the role of a materialistic female. She relies on her husband, Tom Buchanan’s wealth, as â€Å"her voice is full of money† (115). According to Tori DeAngelis’ research, when people are insecure they become more â€Å"materialistic as a way to adapt†, which is shown through Daisy’s character as she masks her unhappiness through materialism as a result of her husband’s infidelity. As a result of being with Tom for materialistic interest, she suffers the consequences as she is constantly ordered by him, for example, â€Å"sit down Daisy†Show MoreRelatedThe Defiance Of Gender Stereotypes933 Words   |  4 PagesFitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby Throughout the 1920’s, before Women’s Suffrage, women were viewed as inferior, as well as subordinate to males because of many years of patriarchal dominance. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby, women are seen as lesser by the male characters, yet show a great sense of power and domination over the actions and storyline. The major plotline of Gatsby’s love for Daisy and the American Dream circulates around the mere factor of the power women have over men. Fitzgerald’sRead MoreThe Feminist Criticism Of The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1697 Words   |  7 Pageshowever, ignored the position of women which is strange as its key concepts are the â€Å"struggle between social classes and the blinding effects of ideology†, it might have been employed to analyze the social situation of women. Feminism saw clearly that the widespread of negative stereotyping of women in literature and film constituted a formidable obstacle on the road of true equality causing the men to act exploitative, denigrating and repressive in their relations with women. The Feminist criticism displaysRead MoreHow Women Are Portrayed in F. Scott Fitzgerald The Great Gatsby1636 Words   |  6 PagesIn the Great Gatsby hedonism, consumerism and materialism plays a huge part in the portrayal of women. Alongside with this comes the American Dream. Before the 1920’s the American dream was based on equality, however a different dream was developed during the 1920’s that contradicted this idea of equality as instead they strived to be rich. Fitzgerald presents women to be victims of this dream and channels this through Myrtle. She is a key character as she shows who suffers from the American dreamRead MoreWomen s Rights : Women And Ladies Merit Uniformity1615 Words   |  7 PagesThe worldwide thought of women s liberation alludes to the conviction that men and ladies merit uniformity in all open doors, treatment, admiration, and social rights. All in all, women s activists are individuals who attempt to recognize social disparity taking into account sexual orientation and prevent it from proceeding. Women s activist; it is a term that has lost its starting significance extra time. The term women s activist has distressingly been given a negative undertone, and numerousRead MoreWomen’s Representation in The Great Gatsby Essay1616 Words   |  7 PagesWomen were not equal to men during the era of the 1920’s. In â€Å"The Great Gatsby,† Fitzgerald represents a negative, misogynistic, stereotypical view of the various types of women during the era of the 1920’s. During the that time, women were not portrayed in a positive light., By writing a book centered around that time period, it causes one to wonder the message Fitzgerald was trying to illustrate about women and what he was saying about society as a whole. Fitzgerald represents the view of womenRead MoreIn the Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald Shows the Clear Delineations Between Different Strata of Society: New Money, Old Money, Some Money, and No Money. Explain Why Fitzgerald Presents This Spectrum of Circ umstances and1520 Words   |  7 PagesIn The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald creates a divide amongst the characters by separating them into different layers of society in terms of wealth. New Money is the category in which characters have previously been poor but have gradually earned vast amounts of money; old money is the situation of some characters that have always been rich through generations. Some money and no money are clear; certain characters simply have either some money or no money. Jay Gatsby falls under the category of NewRead More F. Scott Fitzgerald’s All the Sad Young Men Essay1271 Words   |  6 PagesF. Scott Fitzgerald’s All the Sad Young Men F. Scott Fitzgerald’s All the Sad Young Men was his sixth book. The work was composed of nine short stories that had been published in magazines such as the Saturday Evening Post over the course of the previous year. The work was Fitzgerald’s third short story collection and followed the Great Gatsby in publication on the 26th of February 1926. To most, this book signaled Fitzgerald’s staying power as many of his seniors had believed that his initialRead MoreThe Great Gatsby, no important woman character?1754 Words   |  8 PagesIn the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Daisy Buchanan is an important woman character, but only in relation to Jay Gatsby’s dream. Ever since Gatsby had come back from the army, he had longed to have Daisy back in his life, and so everything he did and built up was in some way for her (e.g. his house and the parties he threw). Nick says: â€Å"He talked a lot about the past, and I gathered that he wanted to rec over something, some idea of himself perhaps, that had gone into loving Daisy†Read MoreEvolutionary Families Essay1535 Words   |  7 PagesWaking up in the morning and scrambling to finish homework, realizing you left your textbook at your dad’s could be a problem. Your mom is late for work and cannot drive you to your dad’s house. As a result, you will receive a zero for the assignment. A few decades ago, scenarios like this were not prevalent. However, with the change in family structure, this situation is now very common. Over decades, television shows have reflected the social changes of the family structure. Starting with theRead More The Portrayal of Women in American Literature Essay2134 Words   |  9 PagesThe Portrayal of Women in American Literature Throughout American Literature, women have been depicted in many different ways. The portrayal of women in American Literature is often influenced by an authors personal experience or a frequent societal stereotype of women and their position. Often times, male authors interpret society’s views of women in a completely different nature than a female author would. While F. Scott Fitzgerald may represent his main female character as a victim

Destruction of a Species - 1041 Words

The soul cannot be eradicated of all vestiges of evil. Life itself is a paradox in which we all must accept and balance our avarice aspirations in order to maintain a serendipitous existence. When our inner monstrosity is aroused the delicate components that compose our humanity are transformed under the duress of our self- serving desires. We forsake forgiveness for revenge. We exploit the secrets of those surrounding us to bring validity to our lies. Brother against brother, sister against sister we turn to hatred, we turn to fear, we turn to genocide. Genocide, the deliberate and systematic annihilation of an individual group, not only endangers the existence of humanity but also, mutilates its very definition by portraying an environment where morality and justice are forsaken in an aspiration to obtain power. Throughout history mankind’s lust for control has caused unthinkable destruction. In 1933 German tyrants annihilated eleven million people, decades later in 1992 the Bosnian Serb leaders targeted and massacred over one hundred thousand of their own citizens, in the two years that followed the Hutu brutally slaughter over eight hundred thousand people. These heinous crimes were systematically deployed, creating damage of grand proportions. Crimes of hatred, crimes of jealousy but not, crimes of secret. Often neighboring countries would declare a state of neutrality and allow the destruction to continue under the sanctity of a diplomatic treaty. These acts ofShow MoreRelatedSpecies Extinction And Habitat Destruction Have A Negative1039 Words   |  5 PagesSpecies extinction and habitat destruction have a negative impact on sustainable food systems, making this a very unspoken yet important issue. To have sustainable food systems we must change our ways of producing food for our dramatically growing population. 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As the human population increases, land that was once inhabited by wildlife is urbanized to suit human needs. In other words, the land available for wildlife to surviveRead MoreHabitat Destruction1612 Words   |  7 PagesHabitat Destruction Overview In this new age of technology and advances in every possible field of study, many people forget about the environment. Some will just throw their trash all over the place with no concern for the possible consequences. Of course, there are many consequences, but only one comes to my mind. That is the demolition of species homes or habitat destruction. Habitat destruction or habitat loss is the altering or elimination of the conditions that plants and animals need toRead MoreThe Destruction Of The Everglades1106 Words   |  5 PagesThe Destruction of the Everglades The Everglades National Park protects the largest wild life area east of the Mississippi River. 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It also created a problem in the Christian community because his theory went against the belief of a greater being. Joseph Schumpeter is well known in the area of economics. He ingeniously coined the term creative destruction which he used in his argumentRead MoreThe Hypothesis By Macarthur And Wilson1704 Words   |  7 Pagestaxon cycle and above all in the Theory of Island Biogeography is the extinction (natural) of species. The extinction created specifically by people colonizing secluded islands of the globe has been emotional. The measured the dissemination of useful differences, a real segment of natural differing qualities, in 45 pre†historic island fowl groups of the Pacific and archived its decrease by means of species eliminations. They gave proof that, notwithstanding territory, it is important to evaluate different

How Language Is Used in the Workplace free essay sample

How Language Is Used in the Workplace BY Francine Spoken Language Study -? Social Attitudes to Spoken Language Investigate speech that is particular to a workplace.ESSAY PLAN * spoken language used In working environment, my Job as a SQ, spoken word different in different settings egg, WHQL or construction site, professional language * use of Jargon, three letter acronyms, unique to an office egg, CSVs etc, technical language, used frequently, humorous re new employees, dont have a clue what Is being said * buzz words, mention text speaking, professional buzz words made fun f Bull Bingo, explain game and give egg, can download a bingo card, used In boring meetings * computer language, used by software users not IT professionals egg Trekker etc, passer-by wont understand conversation, mention experience with an accountant * compare office and normal language, body language, eye contact, lies, move when exaggerate a story, clench fists, courses on body language * general spoken langua ge is office is professional too, no slang, swearing and respectful (unless on a construction site), very non-PC (acronym) * certain types of people speak differently, cant chose who you work with, personality clashes, not children * yes men, power shared is knowledge lost, using buzz word here, poor communicators, Life long use of Jargon so cant talk normally to explain things, * no gossip or chatter like in a supermarket which is less relaxed, heads down butts up, can lead to tension, blow off steam in breaks or social events outside of work, get to know work mates personally, can create a better working environment, efficient and effective * summary -? formal, diplomatic, tactful and direct. Save their own skins yep of people, learn from your own mistakes, many people are outspoken and tactless, curbed in office, think before speaking, dont speak your mind, speak how you expect to be spoken to, open, formal, to the point Spoken Language Study Social Attitudes to Spoken Language Investigate speech I am going to talk about how spoken language Is used In a working environment and how it differs from spoken language use in every day life. I once worked as a Quantity Surveyor and have been in several office environments where language Is used that would never be heard outside of the building. Also workplace language can be very deferent depending upon Just the setting. For example, a Head Office building, a construction site and even meetings taking place at service stations on a motorway because attendees come from different parts of the country. More importantly is that this environment is professional and language can be formal, formal slang and key to that particular office or situation. We tend to use a lot of Jargon and I mean a lot! The favorite use of this, is three their own unique acronyms and you have to learn them or you will literally be left UT. For example, CSVs (cost, value and reconciliation), Final Accounts, PEE (Personal Protective Equipment) and numerous others.This is classed as technical language and not an hour will go by without someone using it and expecting the person they are talking to to fully understand what is being discussed. It is quite humorous to see the look on a new employees face when conversation begins. They are trying to understand and be engaging, but you can see the turmoil behind their eyes as they have not got a clue what is going on! I know, I have been there. Another form of technical speaking is classed as buzz words. Buzz words are used in every day life such as text speaking (egg, C U LTR and LOL), but professional buzz words and phrases take on a whole new meaning.We, as professional personnel, have adapted a way to make our buzz words fun. We have a game entitled Bulls**t Bingo! This game is played frequently, openly, with or without a bingo card and made fun of. If Mr. Joe Public were in the room whilst this game was in operation, he would think he had been beamed onto a different planet. Here are a few example of hat would be on a players game card think outside the box, singing from the same hymn sheets, reinventing the wheel and other such ludicrous statements. You can even download one of these game cards from the Internet they are so popular, especially in boring lengthy meetings. Other technical terms of speech used in the workplace is computer language.This is not the type of language that is used by IT Professionals, but more a type of language used by the users of the software. For example, we have used computer programmer such as Trekker and Researches. Staff will have full conversations talking about a particular programmer, what difficulties they are having, a particular section of that programmer etc. Passer-bys will Just hear nonsensical speech with the words and, but and because thrown in, because the passer-by will only be able to understand those words spoken. I have had particular experience of this when visiting another department within a building. I wished to ask one of the Accountants about a client I was currently dealing with.As I approached said Accountant, he was in deep conversation with one of his colleagues. I waited until they had finished and politely enquired what the difficulty was. My Accountants response was Oh you wouldnt understand, and he was right, I didnt understand a word of what they were saying! There are similarities between spoken language within a workplace and general spoken language. For example, we all use body language in conversation and a lot of the time we do this subconsciously. We avoid eye contact when nervous or telling a lie; we move more when exaggerating a story and we clench our fists or move our hands behind our back when angry or annoyed. In a workplace environment people are more acutely aware of body language and there are even courses you can attend to improve you body language and make it more appealing, especially when trying to be persuasive in an argument or conflict. Are respectful of others opinions and differences. Unless you are on a construction site that is! Language there is quite the opposite to an office environment, very non- PC (see another acronym). There are also certain types of people you will come across in a working environment who speak differently. Some of these people you would not give the time of day to, UT because you are working with them your use of language is paramount. You must be respectful, listen and cooperate, if you wish to achieve a successful spoken outcome. Personalities will clash, but in order to be effective, spoken (and written) communication must be efficient. Bullying, coercing and whining will not achieve desired results; we are not children, we are professionals. There will be Yes men; those who say they will do something and do not, or leave it for others. There will be power shared is knowledge lost men; those who will not share ideas and thoughts for fear of losing credit for it. You will note that Im using buzz words). There will also be poor communicators who have been life long users of jargon and get angry or frustrated when they are not understood by others because they lose the ability to use normal language to ensure they are coherent. In professional offices there is very little gossip and chatter. Heads are down and butts are up (Bingo! , whereas in a workplace which is more relaxed, say a Supermarket, chatter is more abundant and acceptable. This, at times, can lead to tension in the workplace, so often professionals will chatter at breaks and ensure hat they are away from the office. Also I have found that in this type of workplace environment, social events are arranged regularly so that workers can blow off steam and get to know each other personally. This in turn creates a better working environment and people understand each other more as they have a brief insight into that person egg, how they think, their interests etc. All in all creating a more effective and efficient form of spoken communication.In summary, speech that is used in a professional office environment will always be formal, diplomatic, tactful (most of the time) and direct. There will be many who have the view of saving their own skin and telling others to learn from their mistakes, but there are people like that in any given environment. There are people all over the world that are out-spoken, opinionated and tactlessly direct. In an office, this is curbed and you should always think before you speak; speaking your mind is not generally the ideal way to communicate. A note to remember is that in any workplace such as this, you should speak how you would write; formal, to the point and open for discussion. (1192 words)

Nazi Germany Totalitarian State free essay sample

Then into this devastated land, truncated by the Oder-Neisse borderline and hardly able to sustain its demoralized and exhausted population, streamed millions of people from the Eastern provinces, from the Balkans and from Eastern Europe, adding to the general picture of catastrophe the peculiarly modem touches of physical homelessness, social rootlessness, and political rightlessness. The wisdom of Allied policy in expelling all German-speaking minorities from non-German countries-as though there was not enough homelessness in the world alreadymay be doubted. But the fact is that European peoples who had experienced the murderous demographic politics of Germany during the war were seized with horror, even more than with wrath, at the very idea of having to live together with Germans in the same territory. The sight of Germanys destroyed cities and the knowledge of German concentration and extermination camps have covered Europe with a cloud of melancholy. Together, they have made the memory of the last war more poignant and more persistent, the fear of future wars more actual. We will write a custom essay sample on Nazi Germany Totalitarian State or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Not the German problem, insofar as it is a national one within the comity of European nations, but HANNAH ARENDT is author of a just completed IN LESS than six years Germany laid the nightmare of Germany in its physical, moral, and political ruin has become almost as decisive an element in the general atmosphere of European life as the Communist movements. But nowhere is this nightmare of destruction and horror less felt and less talked about than in Germany itself. A lack of response is evident everywhere, and it is difficult to say whether this signifies a half-conscious refusal to yield to grief or a genuine inability to feel. Amid the ruins, Germans mail each other picture postcards still showing the cathedrals and market places, the public buildings and bridges that no longer exist. And the indifference with which they walk through the rubble has its exact counterpart in the absence of mourning for the dead, or in the apathy with which they react, or rather fail to react, to the fate of the refugees in their midst. This general lack of emotion, at any rate this apparent heartlessness, sometimes covered over with cheap sentimentality, is only the most conspicuous outward symptom of a deep-rooted, stubborn, and at times vicious refusal to face and come to terms with what really happened. INDIvERENE, and the irritation that comes when indifference is challenged, can be tested on many intellectual levels. The most obvious experiment is to state expressis verbis what the other fellow has noticed from the beginning of the conversation, namely, that you are a Jew. This is usually followed by a little embarrassed pause; and then comesnot a personal question, such as Where did you go after you left Germany? ; no sign of sympathy, such as What happened to your family? -but a deluge of stories about how Germans have suffered (true enough, of course, but beside the point); and if the object of this little experiment happens to be educated and intelligent, he will proceed to draw up a balance between German suffering and the suffering of others, the implication being that one side cancels the other and ork on totalitarianism, The Origins of Totalitarianism, soon to be published by Harcourt, Brace. Her writings on history, philosophy, and political theory in   and other periodicals have won her a wide reputation. This report on Germany was written after a recent stay of several months in that country. Dr. Arendt was born in Germany, studied under Karl Jaspers in Heidelberg, and earned her doctorate at that university. She came to this country in 19 41. 342e may as well proceed to a more promising topic of conversation. Similarly evasive is the standard reaction to the ruins. When there is any overt reaction at all, it consists of a sigh followed by the half-rhetorical, halfwistful question, Why must mankind always wage wars? The average German looks for the causes of the last war not in the acts of the Nazi regime, but in the events that led to the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise. 343 BUT, whether faced or evaded, the realities f Nazi crimes, of war and defeat, still visibly dominate the whole fabric of German life, and the Germans have developed various devices for dodging their shocking impact. The reality of the death-factories is transformed into a mere potentiality: Germans did only what others are capable of doing (with many illustrative examples, of course) or what others will do in the near future; therefore, anybody who brings up this topic is ipso facto suspected of self-righteousness. In this context, Allied policy in Germany is frequently explained as a campaign of successful revenge, even though it later turns out that the German who offers this interpretation is quite aware that most of the things he complains of were either the immediate consequence of the lost war or happened outside the will and control of the Western powers. But the insistence that there must be a careful scheme of revenge serves as a consoling argument, demonstrating the equal sinfulness of all men. The reality of the destruction that surrounds every German is dissolved into a reflective but not very deep-rooted self-pity, easily dissipated when ugly little one-story structures that might have been imported from some Main Street in America spring up on some of the great avenues to conceal fragmentarily the grimness of the landscape, and to offer an abundance of provincial elegance in super-modern display windows. In France and Great Britain, people feel a greater sadness about the relatively few landmarks destroyed in the war than the Germans do for all their lost treasures together. The boastful hope is expressed in Germany that the country will become the most modern in Europe; yet it is mere talk, and some person who has just voiced that hope will insist a few minutes later, at another turn in the conversation, that the next war will do to all European cities what this one did to Germanys-which of course is possible, but signifies again only the transformation of reality into potentiality. The undertone of satisfaction that one often detects in the Germans talk about the next war expresses no sinister renewal of German lans of conquest, as sq many observers have maintained, but is only another device for escaping reality: in an eventual equality of destruction, the German situation would lose its acuteness. S course, an escape fromalone; all the peoresponsibility. In this the Germans are not ples of Western Europe have developed the habit of blaming their misfortunes on some force out of their reach: it may be America and the Atlantic Pact today, the legacy of Nazi occupation tomorrow, and history in general every day of the week. But this attitude is more pronounced in Germany, where the temptation to blame everything under the sun on the occupying powers is difficult to resist: in the British zone everything is blamed on British fear of German competition; in the French zone on French nationalism; and in the American zone, where things are better in every respect, on American ignorance of the European mentality. The complaints are only natural, and they all contain a kernel of truth; but behind them is a stubborn unwillingness to make use of the many possibilities left to German initiative. This is perhaps most clearly revealed in the German newspapers, which express all their convictions in a carefully cultivated style of Schadenfreude, malicious joy in ruination. It is as though the Germans, denied the power to rule the world, had fallen in love with impotence as such, and now find a positive pleasure in contemplating international tensions and the unavoidable mistakes that occur in the business of governing, regardless of the possible consequences for themselves. Fear of Russian aggression does not necessarily result in an unequivocal pro-American attitude, but often leads to a determined neutrality, as though it were as absurd to take sides in the conflict as it would be to take sides in an earthquake. The awareness that neutrality will not change ones fate makes it in turn impossible to translate this mood into a rational policy, and the mood itself, by its very irrationality, becomes even more bitter. CUCH an escape from reality is also, of 344 BUT COMMENTARY count of what actually happened, and to eliminate the teachers who have become incapable of doing so. The danger to German academic life is not only from those who hold that freedom of speech should be exchanged for a dictatorship in which a single unfounded, irresponsible opinion would acquire a monopoly over all others, but equally from those who ignore facts and reality and establish their private opinions, not necessarily as the only right ones, but as opinions that are as justified as others. The unreality and irrelevance of most of these opinions, as compared with the grim relevance of the experience of those who hold them, is sharply underlined by their having been formed before 1933. There is an almost instinctive urge to take refuge in the thoughts and ideas one held before anything compromising had happened. The result is that while Germany has changed beyond recognition-physically and psychologically-people talk and behave superficially as though absolutely nothing had happened since 1932. The authors of the few really important books written in Germany since 1933 or published since 1945 were already famous twenty and twenty-five years ago. The younger generation seems to be petrified, inarticulate, incapable of consistent thought. A young German art historian, guiding his audience among the masterpieces of the Berlin Museum, which had been sent on tour through several American cities, pointed to the Ancient Egyptian statue of Nefertiti as the sculpture for which the whole world envies us, and then proceeded to say (a) that even the Americans had not dared to carry this symbol of the Berlin collections to the United States, and (b) that because of the intervention of the Americans, the British did not dare to carry the Nefretete to the British Museum. The two contradictory attitudes to the Americans were separated by only a single sentence: the speaker, devoid of convictions, was merely groping automatically among the cliches with which his mind was furnished to find the one that might fit the occasion. The cliches have more often an old-fashioned nationalistic than an outspoken Nazi tone, but in any case one seeks in vain to discover behind them a consistent point of view, be it even a bad one. With the downfall of Nazism, the Germans found themselves again exposed to he B perhapshabit most striking andasfrightening aspect of the German flight from of treating facts though reality is the they were mere opinions. For example, the question of who started the last war, by no means a hotly debated issue, is answered by a surprising variety of opinions. An otherwise quite normally intelligent woman in Southern Germany told me that the Russians had begun the war with an attack on Danzig; this is only the crudest of many examples. Nor is this transformation of facts into opinions restricted to the war question; in all fields there is a kind of gentlemens agreement by which everyone has a right to his ignorance under the pretext that everyone has a right to his opinion-and behind this is the tacit assumption that opinions really do riot matter. This is a very serious thing, not only because it often makes discussion so hopeless (one does not ordinarily carry a reference library along everywhere), but primarily because the average German honestly believes this free-for-all, this nihilistic relativity about facts, to be the essence of democracy. In fact, of course, it is a legacy of the Nazi regime. The lies of totalitarian propaganda are distinguished from the normal lying of nontotalitarian regimes in times of emergency by their consistent denial of the importance of facts in general: all facts can be changed and all lies can be made true. The Nazi impress on the German mind consists primarily in a conditioning whereby reality has ceased to be the sum total of hard inescapable facts and has become a conglomeration of everchanging events and slogans in which a thing can be true today and false tomorrow. This conditioning may be precisely one of the reasons for the surprisingly few traces of any lasting Nazi indoctrination, as well as for an equally surprising lack of interest in the refuting of Nazi doctrines. What one is up against is not indoctrination but the incapacity or unwillingness to distinguish altogether between fact and opinion. A discussion about the events of the Spanish Civil War will be conducted on the same level as a discussion of the theoretical merits and shortcomings of democracy.

The Goodness of God Essays

The Goodness of God Essays The Goodness of God Essay The Goodness of God Essay The Bible shows the goodness of God in different ways, throughout the Old and the New Testament. God was said to have had a moral character, requiring his creation to behave in certain ways and establishing standards of goodness. This may account for the fact that many Old Testament stories seem immoral eg, Abrahams attempted murder of his son, Isaac, and from this, the idea of goodness has evolved. So as the bible shows, God provided the ethics for mankind during this time, (ethnical monotheism). Biblical writers use two Hebrew words to try to describe the goodness which God shows to mankind. Hesed meaning loving kindness and merciful compassion is used 26 times alone in Psalm 136 and rahamum meaning pity and tenderness, Psalm 8: 14. God is portrayed as an omnipotent (all powerful) figure who can react to people and care about they way they behave. God in the Bible is shown as more than just an idea, he exists personally, he is anthropomorphically portrayed. One of the most moving passages in the Old Testament describing Gods love for his creation, is when he is compared with a father teaching a child to walk, the affection is wonderfully described. Hoesea 11: 3-4. God can intervene in his world and always has the ultimate plan. Unlike the unmoved mover, the Biblical God can be a personal and supportive presence in the life on an individual, as show in Psalm 23. Gods goodness in the Bible is the benchmark for his people to aim for. He gives the Jews some guidelines such as the Decalogue Exodus 20, when he enters into a covenant relationship (an agreement) with them. Certain individuals are praised for their obedience such as Abraham and Jobe. The concept also includes the idea of righteous anger, anger that has a reason behind, based on a rule. This anger is shown in Jeremiah 15:6. God is displeased when he sees injustice, such as the poor being exploited, and many prophets, such as Amos, bring this to light. Gods goodness is described as perfect, Duet 32: 4-5 and philosophers generally find this a hard idea to accept. They argue that perfect by its very nature is always the same, unchanging, this was indeed Platos view of perfection and if the Bible suggested that God can interact, he must therefore, be capable of change. Philosophers like Plato ask whether God can suffer or be affected in any way or whether he remains impassible- cannot suffer nor be affected. Jesus in the New Testament embodies goodness, God became man in person of Jesus to demonstrate his love for humanity, John 3:16. The word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory. John 14. This raises many questions as to how God could have been in human form if he is a spiritual being and if God was n heaven at the same time he lived on earth in the person of Jesus. Jesus was seen as goodness personified so that humans could relate to and understand God. Gods love for humanity is so strong he would die for mankind and this is shown when he gave them his only son. The Bible portrays God as such an omnipotent figure that people still have faith in his goodness and follow his rules, the ten commandments, and ethics of how one should morally behave in Christianity today.

John Henry Picture Book by Julius Lester

John Henry Picture Book by Julius Lester The legend of John Henry has been celebrated in song and story for generations, but my favorite version is the childrens picture book John Henry by Julius Lester, with illustrations by Jerry Pinkney.   Julius Lesters John Henry is based on the African American folk ballad John Henry, the tale of John Henry, the steel-driving man who was bigger and stronger than anyone and the competition between him and the steam-powered drill in digging a railroad tunnel through a mountain. While John Henry dies at the end, this is not a sad story but a celebration of a life well lived.   I recommend Lesters retelling of the story of the African American folk hero as an excellent read aloud for children five and older, as well as a good book for independent readers in grades 4-5. Who Was John Henry? While much has been written about John Henry, much of the true story of John Henry is still shrouded in mystery. However, what the John Henry of song and story represents is very clear in both the words and images in this book. Artist Jerry Pinkney saw John Henry as ... a free man, whose strength and valor bring him fame. He was a strong folk hero for African Americans, a symbol of all the working men who made a major contribution to the building of the roads and railroads in the mountains of West Virginia - a dangerous job for which many paid with their lives. (Source: Penguin Putnam Inc.) John Henry: The Story Julius Lesters story of John Henry begins with his birth and immediate growth to a size so large that his head and shoulders busted through the roof which was over the porch of his familys home in 1870s West Virginia. The tall tale continues with the saga of how John Henry grew big, strong, fast, and fearless. His crowning achievement, and the cause of his death, was winning a competition to break through a mountain so the railroad could go through. On one side of the mountain, the railroad boss used a steam drill. On the other side, John Henry used his hammers and amazing strength. When John Henry and the stream drill met inside the mountain, the boss was amazed to find that while he had come only a quarter of a mile, John Henry had come a mile and a quarter. John Henry walked out of the tunnel to the cheers of the other workers, then fell to the ground and died. Everyone who was there came to the realization that Dying aint important. Everybody does that. What matters is how well you do your living. Awards and Recognition John Henry was named a Caldecott Honor Book. and to be named a Randolph Cadecott Medal or Honor Book recipient is a prestigious honor. Caldecott honors are awarded annually by the American Library Association in recognition of excellence in American childrens picture book illustration. Other honors for John Henry include  a Boston Globe–Horn Book Award and being included on the ALA Notable Childrens Books list. John Henry: My Recommendation There are several things that make this book memorable. The first is Julius Lesters use of imagery and personification. For example, when describing what happened when John Henry laughed loudly, Lester reported, †¦the sun got scared. It scurried from behind the moons skirts and went to bed, which is where it shouldve been anyway. The second is the artwork of Jerry Pinkney. While Pinkney used his usual pencil, colored pencils, and watercolors, his use of shading is exaggerated in the illustrations, to good effect. This creates almost a transparent effect in some scenes, creating the illusion of looking into the far distant past. Its as if you can see what is going on, but you also know that it all has a bigger, broader meaning than just the scene depicted. The third is the extra information provided. It helps to set the context for the story. Included are brief author and illustrator biographies, a note from the author about his collaboration with Pinkney, and an overview of the origin of the John Henry story and the sources used by Lester. This information will be particularly helpful to teachers and librarians as they share the book with students. I recommend this childrens picture book for the children five to ten years old and their families.   Its also a good book for elementary school classrooms. (Puffin Books, Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers, 1994. Hardcover edition ISBN: 0803716060, 1999, Paperback edition ISBN: 9780140566222)

Artificial Reproduction in Humans Research Paper

Artificial Reproduction in Humans - Research Paper Example In IVF or in-vitro fertilization, where the egg is fertilized by sperm cells outside the womb in a glass container, is a major process that is undertaken when all other methods of artificial reproduction have failed. AI or artificial insemination is the process where the sperm cells from the husband or an anonymous donor are placed within the uterus of the female recipient, by using methods other than sexual intercourse, for the purpose of impregnating her. Embryo transplantation is the process where one or more eggs that have been fertilized under in-vitro conditions, is placed within the uterus of a recipient female that carries the embryo to its full term. Thus all the three processes aim to procreate for childless couples and also for gay partners, that is, for all those who fail to have children normally or cannot adopt, due to certain reasons. However, as in all latest techno-medical innovations, here also, there are certain ethical considerations to be made. The concept of hav ing ‘designer babies,’ and opting for embryo sex selection, have all been made possible with advances in the assisted reproductive technology, and these are the very ideas that have come under controversy in the recent times. Religious morals and certain medical ethics have placed these processes under considerable scrutiny, with a debate going on as to whether having children by artificial means is indeed morally or ethically correct. It will also consider the various ethical and religious sentiments that speak against the procedures, and also scrutinize the various medical benefits of these techniques. This article has taken up a topic that is very interesting, yet extremely controversial too.

Federal Budger See Below) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Federal Budger See Below) - Essay Example As a result, mandatory expenditure has to remain unaltered in the process of annual budget. From the federal spending, $247million was directed towards repayment of the national debt approximated to be $17 trillion. Conversely, the remaining government spending of about 33% accounted for discretionary spending. Discretionary expenditures are established for a precise time extent by the Senate and House appropriation committees. The statistics from Chantril indicate that mandatory expenditures occupy more than half the budget and have their spending level set by the statute for senior programs, income support programs and other retirement and disability programs. Under the discretionary spending, military spending accounts for two thirds while the other discretionary expenses account for a third. Given the fast increase in National debt interest payment ($247 billion) and the allocations to social security ($1.361 trillion), there is need to cut government discretionary and military spending (gpo.gov). The military savings are expected to result from reduction of military personnel, procurement, research and development, military construction and family housing. With such drops in spending for a period of 10 years, it is anticipated that military spending will be about 14.7% of the discretionary budget by 2022. Other areas affected by budget reductions are education programs, protection through border security and other spending like weather monitoring and food

Music Industry Analysis Essay Example for Free

Music Industry Analysis Essay Analysis on Music Instrument Industry of Bangladesh Analysis on Music Instrument Industry of Bangladesh Submitted to: Mr. Md. Saif Noman Khan Assistant Professor Submitted by: Md. Mashrur Rahman Khan(Zr-11) (Group Leader) Contact No. 01675694513 e-mail:[emailprotected] com Sayeed Shorif Russel(Zr-08) Adib Iqbal Umit(Zr-12) Abdullah Al Muyid(Zr-18) Saif Hasan(Zr-21) Shah Shihab Sadman (Zr-27) Fahmid Shawon(Zr-28) Shamsuddin Muhammad Ishtiaque(Zr-30) Al Imran Bin Khodadad(Zr-46) Nafiz Alam Khan(Zr-47) BBA 18 Institute of Business Administration University of DhakA December 20, 2010 Mr. Saif Noman Khan Assistant Professor Institute of Business Administration University of Dhaka Dear Sir: â€Å"SUBMISSION OF TERM PAPER† It is our distinct pleasure to hand over to you our term paper that fulfills the partial requirement of the Business Communication course (C103). Being the students of Business Administration, it has been more of an opportunity for us to be able to work on this report. The knowledge and first-hand experience that we gained while going out there and collecting relevant data and the networks we made while interviewing different personnel, are undoubtedly going to prove to our advantage once we step into the corporate world. This report, and the investigation behind it, was prepared under your direct supervision. We pledge that under no circumstances will any part of it be reproduced for any reason or be shared with anyone else without your written consent. Furthermore, we pledge that this report has not been submitted to any other faculty member of the Institute of Business Administration We tried to accommodate your invaluable comments and suggestions in our report. In this connection, should you need any further clarification, please feel free to contact us (the contact details are included in the title page). We would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to you for providing us with a thorough knowledge base of how to come up with an excellent report while enjoying doing so. We have been very enthusiastic about doing a good job on this report and hence are hoping that it would meet up to your expectations. Sincerely, Md. Mashrur Rahman Khan(Zr-11)| Sayeed Shorif Russel(Zr-08)| Adib Iqbal (Zr-12)| Abdullah Al Muyid(Zr-18)| Saif Hasan(Zr-21)| Shah Shihab Sadman (Zr-27)| Fahmid Shawon(Zr-28)| Shamsuddin Muhammad Ishtiaque(Zr-30)| Al Imran Bin Khodadad(Zr-46)| Nafiz Alam Khan(Zr-47)| Table of Contents Executive summaryvii 1. 0Introduction8 1. 1 Origin of the report8 1. 2 Objective8 1. 3 Scope9 1. 4 Limitations9 1. 5 Methodology9 1. 6 Historical Background10 2. 0 Music Instruments11 3. 0 Industry Structure14 3. 1 Background of the industry14 3. 2 Sales Trend15 3. 3 growth rate16 3. 4 growth potential17 3. 5 Industry composition17 3. 6 product composition18 4. 0 Analysis of Consumer Preferences18 4. 1 Survey Procedure18 4. 2 Survey Results18 5. 0 Analyzing the Market24 5. 1 Market trends24 5. 2 Market share25 5. 3 Market Growth26 5. 4 Market Size29 . 5 Market leaders29 6. 0 Available Products in the Market31 7. 0 Value Chain Analysis35 7. 1 PORTER’S GENERIC VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS OF THE MUSIC INSTRUMENT INDUSTRY35 7. 1. 1 Core process36 7. 1. 2 Supporting process37 7. 2 Activity analysis37 8. 0 Value Chain System of Music Instrument Industry39 9. 0 Analysis from Investors Point of View40 9. 1 Porter’s Five Forces Industry Analysis40 9. 2 SWOT Analysis43 9. 3 Suggestions for Investors43 10. 0 Conclusion45 11. 0 Bibliography46 12. 0 Appendix47 List of Illustrations Figures: Figure 1: Preference of Music Genre19 Figure 2: Preference of Music Instruments19 Figure 3: Purpose of Purchase20 Figure 4: Consumer Budget Analysis21 Figure 5: Brand Preferenceof Guitar22 Figure 6: Brand Preference of Drums22 Figure 7: Brand Preference of Keyboard23 Figure 8: Acceptance of Second Hand Instruments24 Figure 9: Shop Preference26 Figure 10:Cost-Revenue Overview29 Figure 11: Porters Value Chain Analysis36 Figure 12: Value Chain process of Music Industry39 Figure 13: SWOT Analysis44 Tables: Table 1: Classification of Music Instruments10 Table 2: Price Variation27 Executive summary The rich musical culture of Bangladesh provides a solid base for the music instrument industry to flourish. Bangladesh has 27 genres of cultural music and in recent years modern music has become very popular in this country. Owing to these two factors the music instrument industry, although being small in terms of stature, is quite affluent in nature. The music instruments industry of Bangladesh has been growing at a steady growth ever since its arrival. But since the 90’s the growth rate has been exceptional. The major players in this market are Melody ; Co. Surashree, Sur niketan, Sangita, World Music etc. The characteristics of the market can be attributed to that of oligopoly. The existing major companies hold the major percentage of market share and thus entry of new companies in this industry is faced with various barriers. But there is ample opportunity for new investors to flourish in this market because of the constant flow of the customer. The value chain analysis of the industry also leads to a similar conclusion. The established companies have a widespread supply and distribution chain which helps them to gain cost advantage over other companies. This again bars the entry of new companies in this industry. The survey conducted on consumers has depicted similar findings. Consumers have a special consideration for the established brands and they generally use products depending on their previous experiences or being influenced by opinion leaders (Rock stars, Music Teachers). This hinders the entry of new companies as creating a brand image in consumers mind takes time which can prove to be very costly. In this report, concise description of the music instrument industry is provided for the investors to analyze the market themselves. Some analysis of this market are also included which we have done ourselves. By analyzing the market using SWOT and Porter’s five forces industry analysis, the opportunities and threats of the market were identified. If further investment is taken into consideration, this analysis should help the investors to understand the market trends and invest according to the demands of customers. vii|Page 1. 0 Introduction Entertainment is one humane quality that we possess and music provides the celestial emotions therefore, musicians are acclaimed everywhere. Music industry is growing all over the world and so is the need for professional and high quality musical instruments. Music is a big part of our culture as Bangladeshis. So, our music industry has grown considerably across time. The music instruments industry has met this growth alongside it. In the past decade the both industries have gone through some major changes. This report focuses on the current status of the music instruments industry. - 1. 1 Origin of the report The fulfillment of the Business Communication (C103) Course, taken at the Institute of Business Administration, requires the submission of a report assigned by the course instructor. Thus, by the kind approval and authorization of our honorable course instructor, Mohammad Saif Noman Khan, Assistant Professor, Institute of Business Administration, we, a group of students of BBA 18th batch, have prepared this report on the music instruments industry of Bangladesh. 1. 2 Objective The primary objective of our report is to provide a brief overview on the music instrument industry of Bangladesh. Through the report and its included value chain analysis of the industry potential investors may evaluate the profit prospects of investing in the sector . We will emphasize on the current situation of Bangladeshi music instrument industry and also compare it with previous years to analyze the market trend. We will focus on the key influencing factors of the music instruments industry of Bangladesh. Specific objectives: * State the music instruments available in Bangladesh * Understand the existing market structure of music instruments * Identify the market leaders Provide a value chain analysis of this industry * Determine consumers’ preference towards branded/non-branded products * Implementing our knowledge from this course in the real world scenario and getting a broader perspective * Analyzing the market from an investor’s perspective * Identify specific sectors where investment can be made * Determining the growth prospects of the sector. 1. 3 Scope This report is intended to provide adequate information on the music instruments industry of Bangladesh; the focus will be on both classical and modern musical instruments sector. The paper includes reviews of various literatures that are available and also in-depth analysis of the survey result that we conducted as a part of the report. The scope of the study encompasses the different music instruments shops around Dhaka. 1. 4 Limitations The main limitations faced while working for the report are: * The surveys carried out for the report were based solely on the capital city of Dhaka; other cities or even villages were not considered for surveying because of the geographical difficulties involved. * There were hardly any relevant journals or other secondary information sources on the topic. Some of the local companies were poorly structured and didn’t have adequate recording procedure; so much of the information was not possible to gather. * Some of the information gathered through the internet was backdated and up-to-date information was not available * The main source of information was interviews of owners of different shops. There is a possibility that the information provided by them was partial to their respective shops. 1. 5 Methodology While preparing this report both primary and secondary data sources were used. Personal interviews and informal discussions with individuals associated with the sector, served as the source of our primary data collection. Although formal questionnaires where used for the interviews, we were lenient in adhering strictly to facilitate the gathering of relevant information. * Primary Sources The primary information gathered for the report was basically questionnaire based. Two types of questionnaire served the purpose of gathering information for the report (Market survey questionnaire and consumer survey questionnaire). The methodology used in this report was a survey of 50 people from different walks of life. This wide sample was chosen in order to provide a more comprehensive study of the different music instruments and genre and to gather a broader array of opinions. For the market study our study was limited within the boundaries of Dhaka city. Most of the music instrument industry in Bangladesh is situated in Science Laboratory, Shakharibazar, Gulshan and Bashundhara City. These four locations comprise 90% of the whole music instruments industry. We interviewed approximately 10 different shop owners. The shop owners were highly co-operative. But the poor recording process practiced by those companies stood in the way of our gathering proper information. Secondary Sources Different books, Internet resources and newspapers were used for secondary data collection. Online resources were primarily used to know about the market structure, profit margin, brand names, the distribution system, key manufactures, and suppliers and to get the information provided by the companies themselves to know about the products. 1. 6 Historical Background Bangladesh has a rich music culture. There are over 27 genres of music which are prominent in Bangladesh. Now In keeping with the global growth Bangladesh has also adopted the different music cultures from outside the country. This has opened a new horizon for our music instrument industry as people started to move on to the rock culture. Due to this the market has shifted more to imported product. Classical and cultural music (Rabindra, Nazrul sangeet, Lalan Geeti etc. ) were popular since the inception of Bangladesh. Back in 1995, the underground band culture started growing. By 2001 it became so popular that the big players of the music industry took notice of the growing talents. To take advantage of high profitability of the industry, investors gathered and formed an oligopoly. The veterans of the industry began catering to the modern musicians and slowly moved towards modern instruments. A few companies which failed to change with the times went out of frame. Seeking this opportunity, new music instrument companies emerged. Till now music instrument industry in Bangladesh is in profit and there is practically in no loss. It may seem very profitable to invest in this rising industry, but the big names of the industry make it virtually impossible to attract a user base. 2. 0 Music Instruments Owing to the vast number of the music genres, the types of musical instrument have reached more than one can imagine. The popular musical instruments can, however, be classified in to two major categories: * Classical Instrument. * Modern Instrument. These instruments can be classified again into three major criteria: * Aerophones(Wind Instruments Vibrating air) * Chordophones(Stringed Instruments Vibrating strings) * Membranophones(Vibrating Membrane Instruments) In our report we will try to provide a brief view on different instrument for the potential investors who may not have sufficient knowledge about music instruments. In much of Europe, the term harmonium is used to describe all pedal-pumped keyboard free-reed instruments, making no distinction whether it has a pressure or suction bellows. In South Asia, the term generally refers to a hand-pumped instrument. Tablas: The tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument (of the membranophone family) used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres. The term tabla is derived from an Arabic word, tabl, which simply means drum. Sitar: Sitar is a Persian musical instrument. It is a member of the lute family. Two and a half centuries ago, a fourth string was added to the sitar, which has 25 27 moveable frets. It originated in Persia before the spread of Islam. Ektara: Ektara literally one-string, also called iktar, ektar, yaktaro gopichand) is a one-string instrument used in Bangladesh, India, Egypt, and Pakistan. In origin the ektara was a regular string instrument of wandering bards and minstrels from India and is plucked with one finger. The ektara usually has a stretched single string, an animal skin over a head (made of dried pumpkin/gourd, wood or coconut) and pole neck or split bamboo cane neck. The various sizes of ektara are soprano, tenor, and bass. The bass ektara, sometimes called a dotara often has two strings (as literally implied by do, two). Dotara: The dotara (or dotar) is a two or four stringed musical instrument resembling a small guitar. It is commonly used in Bangladesh and West Bengal, and dates from the 15th-16th century when it was adopted by the ascetic cults of Bauls and Fakirs. The equivalent as a traditional long-necked two-stringed lute is found in Central Asia as dutar. It has two main forms, the Bangla and the Bhhawaiya. The Bangla form originated in Rahr Bangla where it is still predominantly played. The Bhhawaiya form dotara is almost extinct in contemporary times and has a more primeval beginning than its Bangla cousin. Flute: The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening. According to the instrument classification of Hornbostel-Sachs, flutes are categorized as Edge-blown aerophones. Aside from the voice, flutes are the earliest known musical instruments. Electric guitars: An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric signals. Since the generated signal is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker. Since the output of an electric guitar is an electric signal, the signal may easily be altered using electronic circuits to add color to the sound. It served as a major component in the development of rock and roll and countless other genres of music. Acoustic guitars: An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only acoustic methods to project the sound produced by its strings. The term is a retronym, coined after the advent of electric guitars, which rely on electronic amplification to make their sound audible. Bass guitars: The bass guitar also called electric bass, or simply bass is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb (either by plucking, slapping, popping, tapping, or thumping), or by using a plectrum. The bass guitar is similar in appearance and construction to an electric guitar, but with a longer neck and scale length, and four, five, or six strings. The four string bass—by far the most common—is usually tuned the same as the double bass, which correspond to pitches one octave lower than the four lower strings of a guitar. Keyboards: A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include multiple types of organs as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments. In common language, it is mostly used to refer to keyboard-style synthesizers. Among the earliest keyboard instruments are the pipe organ, hurdy gurdy, clavichord, and harpsichord. Drums and Percussions: A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement, shaken, rubbed, scraped, or by any other action which sets the object into vibration. The term usually applies to an object used in a rhythmic context or with musical intent. In a musical context then, the term percussion instruments may have been coined originally to describe a family of instruments including drums, rattles, metal plates, or wooden blocks which musicians would beat or strike (as in a collision) to produce sound. Saxophone: The saxophone (also referred to as the sax) is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian Adolphe Sax in 1841. While proving very popular in military band music, the saxophone is most commonly associated with popular music, big band music, blues, early rock and roll, ska and particularly jazz. There is also a substantial repertoire of concert music in the classical idiom for the members of the saxophone family. Saxophone players are called saxophonists. Piano: The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal. Although not portable and often expensive, the pianos versatility and ubiquity have made it one of the worlds most familiar musical instruments. 3. 0 Industry Structure The Bangladeshi music instruments industry has been a long standing industry in the country. It may not be as big as the major industries, but it has certainly gone through enough expansion and evolution. 3. 1 Background of the industry Bangladesh has always had a culture heavily influenced by music. During the liberation war, music played a big part in rallying up the freedom fighters. So, after the liberation, the music industry suddenly boomed. To cope with the rising demand music instruments companies also needed to change. Pre-liberation, most companies were situated in the Shakharibazar area of Dhaka city. Classical instruments were the instruments of choice. Harmoniums, Tablas, Dhols etc. were popular with the music practitioners. After the war, the companies decided that they need to appeal to the more mainstream crowd, so they shifted to science laboratory, Dhanmondi, Dhaka. The new location offered them a lot of exposure to new music enthusiasts along with maintaining their established customer base. The new location helped the companies and the industry overall. Music instruments industry was on the rise. But the next big change was not far off. As Bangladesh changed with the world, the culture also morphed into a more west influenced one. Music preference was one of the first elements to change. In the 90’s, band music garnered a lot of popularity with the young generation. Underground bands were being formed by groups of young musicians who were ready to leave the old ways behind. Modern instruments such as guitars, keyboards and drums became the standard requirement of any band. Thus, a significant supply was also needed. Established companies saw that the new music mentality was not just a fad. They started making their own acoustic guitars, drums and flutes. However, the real market shift was made by imports. Several brand names were imported from various countries. Some were from nearby countries like India, China and Japan. But the truly expensive ones came from USA and Europe. Band music grew like wildfire and the music instruments industry expanded and changed for good. Soon, bands required more sophisticated and powerful instruments such as electric guitars and keyboards. These came only from imports. The industry became an import heavy industry to cater to the new crowd. So, the companies with import capabilities survived and thrived on the heavy shift while classical only based companies were forced to go out of business. Thus we come to our current status of the music instruments industry. 3. 2 Sales Trend The sales trend of the entire industry market has shifted over the years. Local instruments like harmoniums and tablas were the preferred music instruments. But the market was also smaller in size. Professional musicians and a few newcomers made the whole of the market. But with the transformation of the industry, the market has a much different scenario. Modern instruments take precedence over classical ones. The sales trend suggests that the newer instruments, especially the electric variations, are the big sellers. In the generation of frequent concerts, accessories like amplifiers and sound boxes are also a must. The modern instruments are very import heavy. So, the prices are also much higher. In the cases of customized guitars, the price of one guitar can be unlimited. Instruments from faraway countries such as USA, Germany etc. can be even more costly. For example, a piano form Germany can cost up to 8. 5 lac taka. The prices of the imported instruments maybe high, but that does not mean that customers will be discouraged to continue buying from this sector. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. One must not overlook the fact that the companies themselves are buying the instruments from abroad and then selling them here. They need a substantial amount of capital themselves to maintain their supply. So, the companies spend a lot of money in this regard. But that does not mean the cost outgrows the profit. The profit of the music instruments industry comes from the sheer quantity of the products sold. Bands are consistently buying the modern instruments for their use. Young people with an interest in music also want the best music instruments to fuel their passion. The band music scene is so large that the companies may not make a great profit on each of the sales they make, but the cumulative total of the instruments sold more than makes up for it in the end. So, it is safe to estimate that the sales trend will continue to grow in the same direction. The imported instruments will be the heavy sellers of the industry, but the local manufactured products will not be far behind. 3. 3 growth rate The growth rate of the music instruments industry overall has been quite substantial. From the early 70’s classical music era to the present band music era, the industry has grown multiple times in size. The big players of the industry have invested heavily on imports which continuously expand the market. The slightly less equipped companies are making the transition from classical to modern instruments to keep up with the trends. Some companies are trying to be entirely focused on modern instruments instead of classical. All of these companies keep adding to the industry. The customer base is also on the rise. Since the 90’s music has become quite popular as a profession. Many music enthusiasts try to become a part of the industry by either pure talent or raw passion. Some just want to keep playing music as an added skill. The young generation is not the only user base though. Veteran collectors may even buy music instruments just for adding them to their repertoire. People have many choices when it comes to music. So, their reasons for buying an instrument can be equally diversified. And all this is without counting the established bands and celebrities who will continue to purchase the high quality instruments for further advancement of their own carriers. 3. 4 growth potential The potential for this industry is variable. The big players of the industry have an oligopoly in place for the market in Dhaka. But the market outside of Dhaka is still fair game. People order via courier from outside Dhaka. A music instrument company with a big capital may seize on this opportunity to establish a brand name which will enable the company to pose a threat to the players of the industry. Another aspect to consider is the foreign market. Bangladeshi musical instruments have demand in the outside world as well. But no big company makes the effort to spread the music abroad with the help of instruments. Some foreign buyers come to Bangladesh and buy locally manufactured instruments which are relatively low in price. If a company exports local music instruments, the travel cost for the buyers may be added to the instruments’ pricing. This can garner a hefty profit. The number of customers from abroad may be low compared to the user base of the country, but it is large enough to give it growth potential. 3. 5 Industry composition The music instruments industry at its current state is situated primarily in Dhaka. Areas like Dhanmondi, Gulshan and Shakharibazar are the prominent locations. The center of the entire industry is in Science Laboratory, Dhanmondi. The well established shops like Melody Co, Surasree, Sur niketan etc. have been there for decades and the majority of the market is in their grasps. A lot of medium and smaller size shops are also included there who use lower pricing to attract customers. Other notable locations include Bashundhara City Shopping Complex, Panthapath, and Dhaka which has World Music and Golden Music for a more modernized shopping experience. The big companies at Science Laboratory have their showrooms at the ground level and manufacturing factories on the floor above. Simple and local instruments like tablas, harmoniums and dhols etc. are made there. Complex instruments like guitars are made in a different factory. These factories are mainly situated on the opposite side of the river, outside of Dhaka, like Keraniganj for example. Imports are made through contacts for individual companies. Some companies use direct links abroad to ship instruments into the country. The others use third party importers to import their products. Most of the down payment is done by e-mail. Orders from outside Dhaka are taken via e-mail or telephone and the supplied through courier. The bigger companies of the industry also take responsibility for organizing stage shows for both the Government and NGOs. All of these activities amount to a flowing industry that has quite a profit margin. To top it all off, the big players of the music instruments industry claim to have no loss. The sales never decline and the user base keeps growing. The only drawback is that the cost of raw materials may increase over time, but that can be easily overlooked by the profits. 3. 6 product composition There are two types of products in the market-local and imported. Local products are manufactured by the companies themselves and are sold at a much lower price compared to the imported ones. The imports are much more costly and have a lot more variety. Renowned brands such as Ibanez, STK, Yamaha, Fender, Tama, Paiste, Pearl, Maxtone, Roland, Gibson, TGM, Korg, Kurzweil etc. are available in the market. These brands attract customers on a regular basis. 4. 0 Analysis of Consumer Preferences To understand the industry one has to understand the consumers. Consumer’s insight is critical when determining business strategy. This report contains first hand consumer opinion gathered by individual surveying. . 1 Survey Procedure The consumer survey was done through both online and direct method. A consumer questionnaire that contained questions about general consensus of the music industry was created. Customers at the various music instruments shops were asked to take part in the survey. Online surveys were taken by creating the questionnaire in on line form and conducted anonymously through the internet. Various contacts were used to conduct the online survey. We interviewed 50 people, some of them are professional musicians and the others are non-professionals. 4. 2 Survey Results The primary source of data used in the report was a questionnaire filled-up by a representative sample of participants. The representative sample was picked from different occupations, ages and educational attainment. The participants were asked to respond to a set of simple questions. The questions were designed to get raw data. The raw data on analysis were used to get an insight into the general structure and consumer behavior within the music instrument industry. The survey findings were concluded in different sections by relating the collected data with the demographic characteristics of the interviewees. A detailed analysis of the findings is explained below: * Preference of Music Genre: We surveyed a total of 50 individuals from different segments of the social strata and also conducted an open online survey to get greater response. The core decision characteristics which guide the buying behavior in this market are the preference of genre by the buyers. Through our analysis we get to know that majority of the buyers are still guided by the classical taste. This segment is mainly occupied by female customers who still have a heart for the classical music. Almost 50% of the users are aligned to classical genre. But we also observe that the modern genre is just tailing classical with a percentage user of 46% and there are few passionate users who have a taste for both genres and it comprises of a minute figure of 3% of the market. Figure 1: Preference of Music Genre * Preference of Music Instrument: Analyzing the market we can observe that the most desirable instrument is acoustic guitar followed by electric guitar. Together they occupy almost 60% of the market. There is also high demand for keyboard (19%), flute (19%), drums (18%) and bass guitar (17%). So observing the instrument preferences we can conclude that the modern instruments are in high demand and to be precise the imported instruments. Figure 2: Preference of Music Instruments * Purpose of Purchase Most purchases are made for personal use which is an astounding 98%. But still some purchases are made for commercial use like buying of sound systems and also there are many small business providing jamming facilities. These people make commercial purchases. Moreover many government institutions and NGO’s also make large scale purchases. But as we can observe from the survey results music instruments are still out there for the common to take pleasure in. Figure 3: Purpose of Purchase * Consumer Budget Analysis: As most of the purchases are related to personal use so the budget for buying instruments in not that high. The major portion of the budget is around TK. 4000- Tk. 10000 almost 45%. There are very few high rollers in the budget list who tend to spend lacs on instruments. But even then professional artists and few passionate collectors buy the real deal worth more than 1 lac. But even then as the survey shows the market is steady at around Tk. 000 -25000. Figure 4: Consumer Budget Analysis * Analysis of Brand Preferences: 1. Brand Preference of Guitar: As we can see the imported brands from china and Indonesia hit the chart at top. Brands like Ibanez and Gibson are in a high demand among consumers. Figure 5: Brand Preference of Guitar But still some influence is also made by Indian brands like Givson and Signa ture who also occupy a respectable share in the market. And for other brand there is very little demand for them but still due to specific brand preference from customers these brands are still available in the market. . Brand Preference of Drums: Analysing the market trend and through our survey we could conclude that there is a very tight margin between prefernce for brand while buying drums. This segment is leaded by two leaders Tama and Yamaha which are very popular brands worlwide and prefered by renowned musicians around the world. Others brands like pearl is also in the customers list. But other brands like paiste , maxtone and local brand like Bappi are still a bit less desiarble to customers. Figure 6: Brand Preference of Drums 3. Brand Prefernce of keyboards: As they results speaks this segment is ruled by yamaha and roland. This two are Figure 7: Brand Preference of Keyboard undoubtedly the most popular brands and also highly suggested by users and professionals. Yamaha with an astounding 50% on preference and Roland with 34% have captured the market. For others brands its still a long way to go and more customers to capture to overdo these two giant brands. * Acceptance of Second Hand Instruments: Observing the market trend and consumer behavior we can conclude that most people are for this second hand selling nearly 54% and 34% has no negative notion towards it. It’s quite clear that the market is open for second hand selling and customers are satisfied with this kind of activity. Figure 8: Acceptance of Second Hand Instruments Though this is not a recognized act but due to high prices and tax on imported musical instruments people fail to avail the original one. So when they get the almost new thing at a very cheap price they can’t resist it. So it is quite evident that unless there is a serious price cut this selling of second hand instruments will continue. 5. 0 Analyzing the Market It is better for both the consumers and the sellers to understand the premise of the music instrument industry. Market and consumer behavior is important for analyzing the industry. The study contains consumer and market opinions which were found through a survey in the market. It is crucial for the new investors as well to know the facts that control its consumers’ and competitors’ behavior. By analyzing the market is not a short process. The analysis of current market trends, market share, market growth, market size and analysis of the market leaders come into the procedure. 5. 1 Market trends The current situation at the music instrument industry offers a wide range of products to its customer. With the revolutionary change in the music industry last decade, the instrument industry also claimed its share of customers. Consumers are now more involved in choosing brands that they would buy. People don’t mind paying higher to attain a better performed and of desired outlook music instrument. Even a few days ago consumers were confined in buying basic instruments like guitars, harmonium, tablas etc. But with a change in music trend, consumers now look for dj turn table, multi-functional amplifier, upgraded accessories and many other modern instruments. This massive use of instruments results in more repairing work for the mechanics. This often leads customers towards using wireless electrical instruments. This allows the importer to introduce newer editions of product in the market. Thus the major trends currently observed are: * Tendency of buying brand As the music industry is growing at a rapid speed, it started a new era in the music instrument industry. Now –a –days people move toward hassle free products for which they won’t have turn to mechanic shop. So they are now more interested in buying big brands. The big brands offer guaranteed service and better performance. With differentiated products in the market musicians can choose their desired instrument outlook. * Selecting performance over price With number of brands in the market buyers get to choose theirs from a variety of products. Among these people are more prone towards choosing high performance instrument while caring less about the price. Another reason for such behavior in the consumers is their social status. This very sector has most of its customers either from the music world or from the well off class of the society. This enables these selected consumers to choose performance over price. * Use of the upgraded accessories and technology Marketers have brought upgraded accessories as the demand for it rose with the massive use of modern instruments. Consumers want the best for their instruments and always look for the upgraded versions. Moreover, the passionate young musicians are extensively using these products that consequently making this a prominent sector of music instrument industry. * Using modern technology With the world moving towards technology this sector is also having the touch of it. From the music makers to the music editors, all now depend on the newly added instrument to the industry to cope with the world. The wireless instruments, multi functional mixers and customized sound systems are essential for them to meet the standards that had been set across the world. Alongside the rise music industry, instrument industry is now heading for bright future. The current trend of the market makes this sector more promising 5. 2 Market share Market share is the percentage or proportion of the total available market that is being serviced by a company in comparison of the whole industry. According to the consumer survey, consumers tend to go the old names mostly because of their brand value. In the music instrument industry the majority of the market share is captured by Melody Co. the company demanded that it is the trust and faithful service that they provide to keep their customers satisfied. World Music, among the new companies, also holds a significant proportion of market share. The rest are shared by the other existing companies in the market. Though the companies declined to provide their exact financial information regarding their market shares because of their company policy, we were able to assume the current state through surveying the market and the consumers. Figure 9: Shop Preference . 3 Market Growth The music instrument industry is going through a rapid growth. This is because of the change in the music scene in the recent years. Reasons including young generation being more involved in the music industry and the trend of using newer version of big brands when performing in the public. Musicians now use instruments that have better sound quality and als o can be harmonized easily. Today the instrument industry offers choices in front of the buyers to select from. The increasing number of musicians is buying more and more instruments which are fueling the industry to grow larger. As there is no structured association of the music instrument industry, and many of the companies are independent ones, no up-to-date statistics on current market growth was found. But after studying the available market shares over the years it can be understood that this industry is expanding at a high rate and there is still scope for further expansion. Again surveying the market gave us an overview of the industry. As the number of consumers rose the demand for the instruments reached a certain level that made the marketers to increase the prices over the years.

Unlikely Savior :: Religion Religious Essays

Unlikely Savior If people were asked to describe a judge or leader for the Israelites, imaginations might conjure up a pious, older man paying strict adherence to the Mosaic laws and Codes of his people. One would not call to mind a young man with superhuman strength who drinks, fights, gambles and goes whoring whenever the spirit moves him. Samson fits the latter description, a very unlikely vessel for the Holy Spirit. Even more remarkable is the realization that Samson was exactly the way God wanted him to be—a hell-raiser. Why would God pick such a rabble-rousing rogue to be the champion of freedom for His chosen people? Because Samson was a catalyst meant to disrupt the complacency of the Israelites with regards to their subjugation to the Philistines—the proverbial lit match to the powder keg. He was also created to serve as an archetypical folk hero for his generation and those to follow, a larger-than-life symbol to remember and take heart from when thi ngs got tough. â€Å"Created† is the operative word for Samson—he is created for a purpose. He doesn’t become the man he will be due to happenstance; he is given no choice. God had plans for him since before he was born. In a passage similar to others found in both the Old and New Testaments, an angel comes to Samson’s mother (then barren) and announces a miraculous birth. He instructs her to abstain from wine and not to eat things from the vine or unclean things. He adds that â€Å"†¦no razor shall come to his head: for the child will be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.† Samson was predestined to initiate a chain of events, not to see what he started to its conclusion. Note that the angel said, â€Å"†¦shall begin to deliver,† not â€Å"†¦shall deliver...†(Judges 13:3-5). Regardless of the outcome, Sampson reaches adulthood and sets forth to fulfilling his destiny with great aplomb.

My Thoughts on Race

As a young child, I was always thought that race meant what color a person was on the outside. From my family I was taught that there were white people, black people, and Oriental people. Those were the three races of the world. I was raised to believe that white people were the majority and even though I don’t remember being told that being white was the best race to be, I grew up with this feeling because it was inferred enough. I thought Oriental people were rare, blacks lived in cities, and I was lucky to be a white person. In school we were grouped into categories such as â€Å"white†, black†, or â€Å"other† when we had to fill out forms. Those were the three choices given out when asked to check off our race. Later, these forms were amended to include choices such as â€Å"Latino†, â€Å"Asian†, and â€Å"Native American.† Nowadays government/school forms have increased the choices and currently include selections such as â€Å"Pacific Islander† and â€Å"Hispanic/non-Latino†. As these choices increased, I began to see that there were other races beyond the original three of years back, but I still felt I was white and that was a pretty good thing. I know in my early school years we were taught that Martin Luther King Jr. was a hero to this country in a manner of speaking, but we learned little about people of color in general beyond the fact that they were brought to America as slaves hundreds of years ago. For a white child to grow up with very little contact with anybody of color, in a family and community that did not promote racial equality or exposure, I simply gave very little thought to race and just accepted my families views as my own. Somewhere along the path of my education I was taught that there are some diseases that are more likely to occur in people of color, or people with Asian ancestors, or from some European countries. One such example, which I now understand better, is the sickle-cell gene. I either learned it wrong in school or was taught it wrong at the time, but I thought that this was a genetic mutation that only people of color had. The class readings have dispelled this idea completely as now I know it is â€Å"common in tropical Africa, where malaria is widespread. Up to 40 percent of Africans in such areas carry the sickle- cell gene. It's also common in the malaria-ridden Arabian Peninsula and southern India, and rare or absent in the southernmost parts of South Africa.†(Diamond, 1994) Though I long ago kind of gave up that humans could actually be divided neatly into racial groups, this is a reminder of how things we learn long ago stay with us unconsciously. As science progresses information becomes more accurate, and we become old enough to form individual opinions, it is important to be open to this new information and willing to alter what we were taught as children. I happen to be considered white because I am Italian, but what does this really mean? It has certainly kept me from experiencing much racism, especially compared to my friend Deirdre, a woman of color who is married to a German immigrant and having what our culture terms biracial children. That is not to say I have never experienced racism, I think that every person has on some level, I am simply aware that my experiences wane in comparison to what they have probably experienced and will continue to experience. So, I check off â€Å"white† on forms, which ask for my race, or I leave it blank all together. But a Swede is also considered white too. Am I whiter because Swedes are genetically closer to some Africans than they may be to me? The more I think about it, the less sense race makes at all. Race has been debated for hundreds of years and probably longer. And, as far as I know, there has never been one consensus on how many races there are across the planet in which the world wide scientific community has agreed on, despite what was taught years ago. There are many different questions regarding how one would classify races or differences between races, and over the years many different systems of classifications have been used. However, the most used method seems to be by categorizing people based on visible physical characteristics that include skin color, eye color, and shape of the eye. In today’s world, it just makes common sense not to rely on this type of separation of peoples. With so many technological advances in modern times, which allow for very intricate internal and external evaluations, less obvious methods of categorizing people have been begun to be used. In utilizing these new advances it looks like the idea of race has actually collapsed and the theory that humans belong in different racial groups is now practically obsolete. It has been made obvious that a person’s genetic make-up is in part a reflection of where they live as well as their heredity. Each geographic location has very specific weather conditions, specific agriculture, and specific dietary habits of the population, specific diseases to fend off, and other possible factors that may have changed human genetics during the evolution of humans. So why do we still have government forms which ask people to claim they belong to a race, and why do some still even consider race a viable scientific category, and why is it still being discussed as a separator of humans? Really, how can stereotypes of race still prevail when, depending on which criteria is used, a Swede may be linked genetically closer to a Fulani than a Fulani with another person of color from the African continent? (Diamond, 1994) â€Å"People impose order on their social universe by classifying it. These classifications sometimes match genetic relationships and sometimes diverge from them significantly. How we classify is not based on nature, not determined by nature, but is a construction of our social minds that we impose on nature to help us organize things.†(Marks, 2001) Dividing people into race categories has become a comfort factor rather than a matter of science. I think the long term consequences of many whites is that they will be held responsible for the creation of races as a concept and for the ways in which early scientists classified people by race. I also think that the tensions felt between peoples of different colors may be a long-term consequence of whites proclaiming superiority over all others either by direct actions or by inferences. Some Native-Americans blame the government for the situations of their modern tribes. As such, they fought and won the right to receive special treatment by the government by being taxed less and by having certain gaming privileges, and possibly by other means I do not know of, because of the way the whites that first came to America treated them. Some people of color are actively seeking reparations from the United States government because some of their ancestors may have been slaves of America’s early white residents. Because the government allows the Native-Americans special privileges, they are conceding that the early whites in America did something wrong, which I happen to agree they did. But, by continuing to behave as if whites and Native-Americans are separate races, even if only on forms and in certain minds, the race myth will not go away. If the American government concedes to reparations to blacks for something ignorant whites did centuries ago, we will be further drawing a line between populations of humans that do not need to exist. So, the early white scientists classified race before the information known about humans today existed. They created a world that believed their scientific theories because most people did not know any better. And after hundreds of years of believing what we were told as fact and not fiction, it may very well take another hundred or more years to dispel the myth of race. The sense of comfort that propels us to sort people into groups is also a case of fear overriding reason. The Ku Klux Klan could not exist with the fear of other races, even if many racists would deny this. Just as there are many so-called white people who discriminate against blacks, Chinese, or other people, there are many non-white groups of people that discriminate against whites or other people different than themselves. A Chinese father may insist his daughter marry a Chinese man for the simple reason that he has accepted that they are of the same race, and a white man would not be, because that is how he has been taught throughout his life. Even if there were such thing as races of people, how would one define their race in a world where everybody intermingles? If a man marries a Chinese woman, what would their children’s race be? The government/school forms always ask that a person select only one race on certain forms. If their children put â€Å"white† down, they are denying their Chinese heritage. If they put â€Å"Chinese,† â€Å"Oriental† or whatever it is that a person of Chinese heritage would fit under, they would be denying another side of the family. Why should any humans be asked to deny one part of themselves and embrace only one segment of who they are? The bottom line of the future is that governments and major scientific organizations often set the tone for how populations treat and understand the concept of race. Until governments and major corporations stop circulating the concept of race and until the concept of cultures are embraced rather than race, the separation of peoples by race will never be dispelled. Sources: 1) Diamond, Jared. â€Å"Race Without Color.†Ã‚   Discover 15.11 November 1994. 2) Marks, J. (2001)   Scientific and folk ideas about heredity.   In: The Human Genome Project and Minority Communities: Ethical, Social, and Political Dilemmas, ed. by R. Zilinskas and P. Balint.   Westport, CT: Greenwood, pp. 53-66. My Thoughts on Race As a young child, I was always thought that race meant what color a person was on the outside. From my family I was taught that there were white people, black people, and Oriental people. Those were the three races of the world. I was raised to believe that white people were the majority and even though I don’t remember being told that being white was the best race to be, I grew up with this feeling because it was inferred enough. I thought Oriental people were rare, blacks lived in cities, and I was lucky to be a white person. In school we were grouped into categories such as â€Å"white†, black†, or â€Å"other† when we had to fill out forms. Those were the three choices given out when asked to check off our race. Later, these forms were amended to include choices such as â€Å"Latino†, â€Å"Asian†, and â€Å"Native American.† Nowadays government/school forms have increased the choices and currently include selections such as â€Å"Pacific Islander† and â€Å"Hispanic/non-Latino†. As these choices increased, I began to see that there were other races beyond the original three of years back, but I still felt I was white and that was a pretty good thing. I know in my early school years we were taught that Martin Luther King Jr. was a hero to this country in a manner of speaking, but we learned little about people of color in general beyond the fact that they were brought to America as slaves hundreds of years ago. For a white child to grow up with very little contact with anybody of color, in a family and community that did not promote racial equality or exposure, I simply gave very little thought to race and just accepted my families views as my own. Somewhere along the path of my education I was taught that there are some diseases that are more likely to occur in people of color, or people with Asian ancestors, or from some European countries. One such example, which I now understand better, is the sickle-cell gene. I either learned it wrong in school or was taught it wrong at the time, but I thought that this was a genetic mutation that only people of color had. The class readings have dispelled this idea completely as now I know it is â€Å"common in tropical Africa, where malaria is widespread. Up to 40 percent of Africans in such areas carry the sickle- cell gene. It's also common in the malaria-ridden Arabian Peninsula and southern India, and rare or absent in the southernmost parts of South Africa.†(Diamond, 1994) Though I long ago kind of gave up that humans could actually be divided neatly into racial groups, this is a reminder of how things we learn long ago stay with us unconsciously. As science progresses information becomes more accurate, and we become old enough to form individual opinions, it is important to be open to this new information and willing to alter what we were taught as children. I happen to be considered white because I am Italian, but what does this really mean? It has certainly kept me from experiencing much racism, especially compared to my friend Deirdre, a woman of color who is married to a German immigrant and having what our culture terms biracial children. That is not to say I have never experienced racism, I think that every person has on some level, I am simply aware that my experiences wane in comparison to what they have probably experienced and will continue to experience. So, I check off â€Å"white† on forms, which ask for my race, or I leave it blank all together. But a Swede is also considered white too. Am I whiter because Swedes are genetically closer to some Africans than they may be to me? The more I think about it, the less sense race makes at all. Race has been debated for hundreds of years and probably longer. And, as far as I know, there has never been one consensus on how many races there are across the planet in which the world wide scientific community has agreed on, despite what was taught years ago. There are many different questions regarding how one would classify races or differences between races, and over the years many different systems of classifications have been used. However, the most used method seems to be by categorizing people based on visible physical characteristics that include skin color, eye color, and shape of the eye. In today’s world, it just makes common sense not to rely on this type of separation of peoples. With so many technological advances in modern times, which allow for very intricate internal and external evaluations, less obvious methods of categorizing people have been begun to be used. In utilizing these new advances it looks like the idea of race has actually collapsed and the theory that humans belong in different racial groups is now practically obsolete. It has been made obvious that a person’s genetic make-up is in part a reflection of where they live as well as their heredity. Each geographic location has very specific weather conditions, specific agriculture, and specific dietary habits of the population, specific diseases to fend off, and other possible factors that may have changed human genetics during the evolution of humans. So why do we still have government forms which ask people to claim they belong to a race, and why do some still even consider race a viable scientific category, and why is it still being discussed as a separator of humans? Really, how can stereotypes of race still prevail when, depending on which criteria is used, a Swede may be linked genetically closer to a Fulani than a Fulani with another person of color from the African continent? (Diamond, 1994) â€Å"People impose order on their social universe by classifying it. These classifications sometimes match genetic relationships and sometimes diverge from them significantly. How we classify is not based on nature, not determined by nature, but is a construction of our social minds that we impose on nature to help us organize things.†(Marks, 2001) Dividing people into race categories has become a comfort factor rather than a matter of science. I think the long term consequences of many whites is that they will be held responsible for the creation of races as a concept and for the ways in which early scientists classified people by race. I also think that the tensions felt between peoples of different colors may be a long-term consequence of whites proclaiming superiority over all others either by direct actions or by inferences. Some Native-Americans blame the government for the situations of their modern tribes. As such, they fought and won the right to receive special treatment by the government by being taxed less and by having certain gaming privileges, and possibly by other means I do not know of, because of the way the whites that first came to America treated them. Some people of color are actively seeking reparations from the United States government because some of their ancestors may have been slaves of America’s early white residents. Because the government allows the Native-Americans special privileges, they are conceding that the early whites in America did something wrong, which I happen to agree they did. But, by continuing to behave as if whites and Native-Americans are separate races, even if only on forms and in certain minds, the race myth will not go away. If the American government concedes to reparations to blacks for something ignorant whites did centuries ago, we will be further drawing a line between populations of humans that do not need to exist. So, the early white scientists classified race before the information known about humans today existed. They created a world that believed their scientific theories because most people did not know any better. And after hundreds of years of believing what we were told as fact and not fiction, it may very well take another hundred or more years to dispel the myth of race. The sense of comfort that propels us to sort people into groups is also a case of fear overriding reason. The Ku Klux Klan could not exist with the fear of other races, even if many racists would deny this. Just as there are many so-called white people who discriminate against blacks, Chinese, or other people, there are many non-white groups of people that discriminate against whites or other people different than themselves. A Chinese father may insist his daughter marry a Chinese man for the simple reason that he has accepted that they are of the same race, and a white man would not be, because that is how he has been taught throughout his life. Even if there were such thing as races of people, how would one define their race in a world where everybody intermingles? If a man marries a Chinese woman, what would their children’s race be? The government/school forms always ask that a person select only one race on certain forms. If their children put â€Å"white† down, they are denying their Chinese heritage. If they put â€Å"Chinese,† â€Å"Oriental† or whatever it is that a person of Chinese heritage would fit under, they would be denying another side of the family. Why should any humans be asked to deny one part of themselves and embrace only one segment of who they are? The bottom line of the future is that governments and major scientific organizations often set the tone for how populations treat and understand the concept of race. Until governments and major corporations stop circulating the concept of race and until the concept of cultures are embraced rather than race, the separation of peoples by race will never be dispelled. Sources: 1) Diamond, Jared. â€Å"Race Without Color.†Ã‚   Discover 15.11 November 1994. 2) Marks, J. (2001)   Scientific and folk ideas about heredity.   In: The Human Genome Project and Minority Communities: Ethical, Social, and Political Dilemmas, ed. by R. Zilinskas and P. Balint.   Westport, CT: Greenwood, pp. 53-66.